


Deep Blue Sea

by space_train



Series: Some Monster Lovin' [3]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-Neutral Reading, Human/Monster Romance, Misunderstandings, Other, Pining, Shark Merperson, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27000640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/space_train/pseuds/space_train
Summary: The compass on your wrist points in the direction of your soulmate. Your other half, the person you will spend the rest of your life with.But why has yours never moved?(Gender Neutral!Reader/Shark Merman)
Relationships: Original Male Character/Reader
Series: Some Monster Lovin' [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1835281
Comments: 12
Kudos: 172





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Titles:  
> Shape of Water 2; Electric Boogaloo

You’ve known soulmates were bullshit since you were 14.

You’ve known since you first got a pitying look, a peppy quip to “look at the bright side of things.” Since people began deciding things about you before they even knew you.

\-------

When you were seven, a year after your soulmate mark appeared, you and your family went to visit your aunt in Michigan. It’s a short flight from Virginia and you talk your mom’s ear off about jet-skies, lake monsters, and swimsuits. You’re so wrapped up in the excitement of travel that it's only when your cousin points it out do you notice. 

The compass on your wrist hasn’t moved, not even a millimeter, away from the W point. Same as it had been on the east coast. You overhear your uncle joking about it one night, right before the kids are put to bed.

“Looks like ____’s got a long way to go, huh?”

Your mom gives a dramatic sigh, slapping her hands against her cheeks, slightly red from wine.

“I suppose so. I would’ve preferred someone closer to home, just so I could check up on them, but it’s just not in the cards.”

You don’t know what she means, but your little kid brain registers any tone of disappointment as genuine. While laying in your cousin's bunk bed, you flick your wrist several times, trying to move that compass point.

Unsurprisingly, it stays still.

But it doesn't move when you visit family in Texas either.

You’re 12 at this point, your family taking a long Christmas in Bueda. You spend the flight with your nose stuck in a fantasy book. Most of family time as well, still too young to hang with the teens but too old to play with the little kids. It’s a good disguise for eavesdropping, especially when you hear the adult table bring up your compass.

“Dang, and I had my heart set on a cowboy son-in-law.” That dad-joke gets a laugh, but you feel the tips of your ears get red and force yourself to focus on the page in front of you.

By high school, you have a bone to pick with your soulmate.

You like where you live. You like the ocean, you like your friends, you like the picturesque four seasons. 

Yet your whole life people expect you to get gone the minute you turn 18. The counselor puts emphasis on west-coast colleges (“They may not be Ivy’s technically but the UC’s are very good schools!”) and it becomes an accepted rumor that you’ll disappear the night of graduation, a note left and a suitcase packed to begin your cross-country soulmate search.

Spiteful as you are, you apply to University of Virginia and get a full-ride scholarship. The school is too good for anyone to make any comments, but you internally rejoice one-upping the system, as small as it was.

Those four years of pride feel less-sweet when you apply to UC Santa Cruz, one of the top Ocean Sciences schools, and have to move across the country to California. Your mother had grown out of soulmate jokes and a part of you knows she never really meant them, but you can’t help the stubborn 14 year old brewing in your mind.

\------------

When you're outside of the airport, hailing a cab to your new apartment, you fight the urge to take off your watch. Even the beautiful ocean view fails to completely distract you, your head forcefully locked into looking out the cab window instead of at your wrist.

While unpacking, you nonchalantly check, the compass catching your eye as you prop open one of your boxes.

The arrow points west.

\------------

For the first week of grad-school, you wear a scrunchie around your wrist. The unmoving point irks you, more so than you like. You are not sure if you could take any more questions.

That Sunday you walk down by the boardwalk to destress. You’ve made plans to visit the more touristy areas with some classmates next weekend, but today, you just want some time on the beach.

The sounds of the waves crashing reminds you of home, although the foam that tickles your feet is far warmer than the east coast. It’s probably an hour before sunset, a photographic time to be lost in thought. The sight of an endless horizon calms your mind.

_ “Hmm, maybe their Hawaiian? Or are there islands closer than that? Oh shit, maybe their Japanese, or maybe-” _ You shake your head, having unconsciously waded up to your ankles.  _ “I wouldn’t even know what to do. I just started school, I have enough on my plate.” _ You pull up your pant legs a little more, letting the tide push against your calf. 

The ocean looks infinite, beautiful in its possibilities and unanswered questions. You chose the right career to pursue.

_ “Yeah, I can wait a bit.” _

The moment feels nice, the ocean water smoothes away the edges of your anxieties. For some dramatic finality, you pull up your watch and take a peek at your wrist.

The arrow points North.

\------------

“Sorry, excuse me!”

_ Damn, I really should’ve put my shoes back on. _

The pinch of slightly missed splinters and small pebbles dig into the soles of your feet, shoulders bumping into multiple tourists as you keep up your gaze low and locked on your wrist.

The needle is fidgeting, beginning to point more West as you dart across the boardwalk. You mutter a curse as you take a swift turn, just narrowly avoiding rolling your ankle as you hit sand again. The added weight makes your calves burn, but you keep running. The arrow shifts more North.

You run for enough time to break a sweat and for the sounds of civilization to fade away. A jolt runs through you as your toes hit cold water and stone. You’ve reached a tidepool, small and secluded.

The needle is still, pointed out towards the open ocean. West.

Catching your breath, you feel your spirits drop as you stare at barnacles and stray bits of seaweed.

_ God, what am I doing? _

A large sturdy rock juts out with just enough room for you to sit and lament on. You take a seat, racked by the feeling that you’ve somehow lost. To whom, you don’t know.

A large crab scuffles at the end of the tidepool. You look up and smile forlornly as it comes closer to you.

“ I guess you're my soulmate, little guy?” The crab clicks its claws. It looks as if it’s moving to snip at your toes.

But before you can slide your feet away, a large, grey, webbed hand slams down on top of the crab.

A line of electricity rolls down your spine and you jerk back.

“Gotcha!”

The clawed hand is attached to a grey arm, which leads to a muscular shoulder and a  _ very  _ large body, which stretches the length of a tidepool and ends with a tail. He has a big smile full of far too many sharp teeth.

He looks up when he sees the tip of your toes wiggle. His eyes are an abyssal black from corner to corner.

On his wrist there’s a tattooed nautical arrow, pointed directly at you.

  
  



	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your soulmate have a chat.

“So, you want some?”

He takes your stunned silence as no, checking that the crab is fully dead before pulling off a leg and biting the meat inside. His teeth catch the light of the setting sun, glinting white in between chunks of crab.

“So were-”

“Soulmates? Yeah, looks like it.” He, your soulmate, cracks off another leg and begins to chew. You find yourself transfixed watching him, mind reeling with questions. He uses the sharp claws on the tips of his fingers to dig out more meat. You’re not even sure where to begin.

“What do we do know?” 

He shrugs, sucking out the last of the crab leg and tossing it aside.

“Dunno, guess this mystery is solved though.” He taps his wrist and you get a closer look at his soulmate mark.

It loosely resembles a human compass, yet alien in it’s design.There’s eight large symbols, none of which you recognize, and the arrow is slightly misshapen before straightening to a point.

“I always assumed my soulmate was in the Atlantic or something, maybe even a selkie. When that thought always drove my ma up the reef.” He sighs, pressing his chin against his palm as he lays against a rock. “Wonder how she’ll take this. Maybe she’ll turn a whole  _ new _ shade of blue.”

His chuckle is low, rough against your ears, but not entirely unpleasant.

You can see more of his backside as he scoots closer into the tidepool. The first thing you notice is just how big he is, his tail stretching from his hips to the open ocean. The second thing you notice are the defined muscles which stretch and flex along his back.

_ Okay, what the fuck. _

There’s a pressure building in your temples and you think you're beginning to overload. Your  _ fucking _ soulmates eyes wander, looking nonchalant as can be beforeperking up when he sees another crab. His body slithering away from you to snatch it up snaps you out of shutdown mode.

“Uh, I guess….what’s your name?” He doesn’t take his eyes off his soon to be snack, only humming to acknowledge he even heard you. “I think that’s a good place to start, don’t you?” That at least gets you a chuckle, followed by a tiny  _ crack! _

“Cruz, you can call me Cruz.” You make eye contact as he takes a long, languid bite of crab. Your furrow your eyebrows, face unimpressed. He lights up with a mischievous grin.

“Is that your real name?”

“Nope,” Cruz says, popping the p and breaking open a claw, “But I don’t think you could pronounce my name so…..”

The tension in your jaw tights as he turns away from you once more,humming to himself and letting out a soft “Oh!” as the other leg reveals quite a bit of meat. You rub your brow and sigh.

“My names _____”

“Neat.”

In high school, your mom got the yearbook epithet “biggest social butterfly.” Your dad, however, was barely presentable on picture day and a social circle consisting of the three fellow chess-club members. You were a lot like your dad in many ways.

The conversation, to say the least, seemed to float on the water like a dead fish, and you had no idea how to resuscitate it. It wasn’t easy, it wasn’t natural, it wasn’t that missing piece yoru guidance counselor said it would and dammit, it’s kind of pissing you off. You’re pissed off that it’s pissing you off, because when has making first impressions  _ ever _ been easy for you? Did you think this was going to be different, because what, a stupid mark on your wrist? That has no basis in logic, not even a little bit. 

You refuse to dignify any emotions similar to disappointment which begin to well inside you, because it’s ridiculous. You worked hard to get to California, you’ve worked hard your whole damn life, what's stopping you from working now?

“Welp, seems I scared away all the other crabs.” Cruz huffs and places his hands on his...hips? “Been nice chatting _____, but I got dinner to catch.” Cruz looks back at you as he slinks into the water, sending a salute and a wink.

The words bubble up in your chest before you can catch them as he begins to swim away.

“Wait, but, um, I-” Your commands fall clumsily out of your mouth and barely leaves a ripple on the water. Cruz doesn’t turn around.

You feel the heat sizzling up your neck and face as you look at his back. Flashes of him, the arrow, your mom, that stupid guidance counselor paint the inside of your eyelids.

_ No. _

“Will you  _ wait _ a second!”

The scream barely echoes in the small tidepool, but it’s enough to catch Cruz’s attention. He whips back to you, eyes slightly wide. You realize just how hard you’re breathing.

“I-, just, can you meet me here? Tomorrow?” Cruz's expression stays still, only the slightest bit of confusion crossing his eyes as he raises his brow. “I want to get to know you better.”

“Oh, um, okay.”

….

….

“What time….. do you want to meet up?” Cruz looks far less mischievous and much more sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck with a clawed hand and looking up at you from under his eyelids.

“How about 5PM?” 

Cruz narrows his eyes.

“I don’t know what that means.”

_ Ah, right, merman. _

“About three hours before sunset. I mean, do you know how long an hour-”

“Yes, I know how long an hour is. I’m not a pup.” Cruz rolls his eyes

_ Well, the sass returns. _

The two of you stay in that position for a little tool ong. You begin to rub your arms as the cold of the sea breeze and your social anxiety slowly come back to you.

“See you tomorrow, I guess.” With a hesitant nod, his black-blue eyes looking pensive, he submerges. Your breath comes back to you in a wave as your soulmate swims into the open ocean.

The walk back to civilization is a blur, the pounding voice in your head drawing out all other noise yet barely making sense itself. 

You’re not sure what you expected of the first meeting with your soulmate, but it certainly wasn’t  _ that. _

\---------

The next day, Cruzis waiting for you at the tidepool by 4:55 PM, shucking an oyster with one of his claws. He looks up as your feet splash into the tidepool. You wave.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

It’s an understatement to say the silence is uncomfortable. You take a beach towel out of your bag and begin to lay it on a large rock. The task helps keep your mind distracted, but you feel Cruz’s eyes burn into your back.

“So, I guess, what are you exactly?” You say, sitting yourself down.

“Merman’s best word I’ve heard you humans use, so that.” Cruz has shifted his focus back on his oyster, which he then downs with one swallow.

“I see, I see. Are all mer-folk as big as you?”  _ That _ catches Cruz’s attention. A self-satisfied smirk grows on his face as he puffs out his chest.

“Not at all. I’m a Great White and we’re one of the…” Cruz extends his arms art in front of him, flexing his fingers and his biceps in a decidedly braggadocious manner, “bigger species out there.” He finishes his statement with a playful wink. A tiny smile crawls on your face.

_ Interesting. Male Great Whites are typically around 12 feet, but Cruz is only about 9 feet. I wonder why that is? _

“I can see that.” Cruz shifts, ego now lifted, and lays his weight on his right elbow, facing you. “You mentioned a mother, do you have a clan?” Cruz nods.

“Yup. It’s my ma, my dad, my two older sisters, and me. Plus two other families. My ma’s parents were from this reef.”

It’s difficult for you to fight the instinct to whip out your notebook and jot all this down.Your inner scientist screams to pry into the complex social hierarchy and behaviour patterns of this new species. But the more sane part of you knows that would probably be pushing some boundaries.

“Wow, so you’re a true Californian, huh?” Cruuz squints his eyes at you. “Uh, that’s where we are. The territory Santa Cruz lies in.” 

He gives a low hum, reaching for another oyster nearby. This movement is far more natural than his earlier show, but you still get a full glimpse of his cut shoulder muscle and tight abdominals. It stirs something in you.

_ Would he have the swimmer’s V? Okay, stop, focus. _

“Yeah, I guess I am.” He pries open the oyster, staring at the soft meta inside. “A member of the clan, born and bred.” Cruz brushed the pad of his finger on the shell, his voice holding a quiet bitterness, tinted somber.

Should you comfort him? He’s within touching distance, but the thought of grabbing his hand feels too intimate, soulmate-ship be damned.

Before you can make a move, Cruz throws his head back and gulps down the oyster. He shakes his head and lets out a small “Ah~”, then pushes his short hair back against his skull. Whatever emotion that was there before, it’s gone.

“Where are you from?”

“East Coast, bordering the Atlantic. So you weren’t too far off.”

“Well, I’m not just a pretty face.” Cruz winks at you, but his eye catches a scuttling crab nearby. He gets low in the water, moving slowly to catch it by surprise. You don’t hum the Jaws theme, despite how much you want to.

“No siblings, just me and my parents.” Cruz doesn’t look away, even as he kills the crab.

“Lucky. How big's your clan?” The familiar crack of the shell follows.

“We don’t really,” _ crack _ “...have those. Humans can-”  _ crack _ “We typically live near each other-”  _ crack _ “but don’t get that-”  _ crack _ “....close.”

Cruz hums contently, but you can clearly see it’s from the crab and not your one sided conversation. He sucks juice off his fingers. Seems you’ve lost him once again.

_ I didn’t expect this to be so difficult. _

“Have you ever had cooked crab?” Cruz perks immediately, slowly turning back towards you.

_ Got ‘im. _

\----------

You return with two warm lobster rolls, a bag of crab legs, and some shrimp scampi. Cruz’s black-blue eyes just peak out of the water, suspicious.

“So these two are lobster, actually, but this,” You shake the crab-bag, “is all crab. I thought I ‘d get you a couple things to sample.”

Cruz’s nose (Is it a nose? There’s a ridge but you’re not sure if the slits count as nostrils. Questions for later.) just breaches the water as you set the crab-bag down and settle on your rock. You grab a couple of legs for yourself before nudging it closer to him. “Have at it, it’s pretty self-explanatory.” You say midst a large bit of your lobster roll. The whole meal was not cheap, so you decided to indulge in this treat as much as you can. You’ve had a stressful couple of days.

Cruz slowly approaches the plastic, snatching it up quickly before looking inside it. His eyes widen and there's a small smile on his lips as he pulls a long leg out. His smile only grows bigger.

“Oh, also!” You clap, pointing towards the bag and jolting Cruz out of his food-induced joy. “There’s sauce, garlic butter, shit like that in those little plastic containers at the bottom. You dip the crab meat in them.” You take another large bit of lobster roll and hear Cruz break into a crab leg. Cruz gets his mouth ready to take a big bite before pausing. His eyes flit between the lef and the garlic butter, before he slowly pulls the lid off and dips the meat in. Cruz then takes the tiniest bite possible.

His eyes, black as they are, light up. He quickly takes another, larger bite. It’s quite adorable, like a baby trying ice cream for the first time. Cruz devours the leg quickly before snapping into another sauce.

“You like it?” Cruz nods, cheeks stuffed with crab meat as you giggle.

“What kind of craf is fiss?” 

“Dungeness. That’s commonly eaten by humans. They’ve got some of the highest meat value and they're all over the West Coast.” Cruz nods, though you’re not sure he understands parts of your sentence. “They’re also pretty sustainable to fish, although ocean acidity is kinda fucking with their babies. It’s also been fucking with Red King Crabs, which  _ sucks _ because their only found in like, four places and are  _ so _ beautiful and also sustainable and-” Cruz has stopped eating and is staring at you. After a big, long breath in you realize how fast you were talking. You feel the what of your blush on the base of your neck. “Sorry, I’ll let you eat. I just...really like crustaceans. A Lot of aquatic animals, but crabs especially are… I’m doing it again. Sorry.” You take a large bite so you won’t have to talk for a couple of seconds, avoiding eye contact with Cruz. You’re sure your chest and arms are bright red; It’s an embarrassing symptom of when you get too excited.

Cruz just keeps staring at you. Frankly it’s the longest he's looked at you and not a nearby snack. You chew the slowest you possibly can, the brioche bun becoming mush in your mouth, to fill the silence.

You don’t see it, but a small smile widens on his face. He picks at his empty crab shell. 

“I think those facts are  _ crab _ -tastic.” 

You immediately choke on a bit of lobster roll, pounding your chest as you sputter between mouthfuls. WHen your eyes stop watering, you see Cruz has moved closer to you, hand outstretched and a couple inches from resting on your calf. He jerks it back when you look down at him.

“Wow, thanks, but puns aren’t really part of my vo _ crab _ ulary.” You obnoxiously wink, scrunching up the left side of your face. Cruz laughs. Not a chuckle, but a full, belly laugh.

“Well I find them quite  _ crab _ -tivating.” A larger laugh bursts from your chest as he mimics your wink and shoots you another big smile.

The sharp teeth are beginning to grow on you, adding to Cruz’s boyish charm. You feel the hot blush in your chest crawl up your neck once more.

_ Oh fuck. _

Cruz reaches for another crab leg but hits the bottom of the bag, a playful pout now on his chin.

“Here, try this next.” You hand him the second lobster roll. “Probably don’t want to get this one wet, it’ll be soggy.” With no hesitation Cruz digs in, perking up once more and going to town. His teeth serate through the bread like butter. Within 4 bites, the entire roll is gone.

“Dang, I’ll make sure to bring some more food next time.”Cruz pauses, mid-lick of the butter on his claws and looks up at you.

“Next time? You want to meet up again?” You raise your eyebrow.

“Well yeah, don’t you?”

Cruz stays quiet, no sassy comment or a sarcastic look. Just staring, mildly shocked.

Your embarrassment bubbles back, screaming you’ve misread this whole situation and the last few minutes. “I mean, we are soulmates. Shouldn’t we meet up again?”

Cruz's eyes narrow as a barrage of thoughts seem to flit across his head. His smile recedes back into a straight line, that little spark leaving his eye.

“Yeah, I guess we have too.” He crinkles up the plastic bag, shoving it against your calves. “See you tomorrow.”

A pit rolls in your stomach as he quickly moves to leave.

_ Did I say something wrong? _

“Uh, I’m actually busy tomorrow. Can we do Thursday-er, 3 days from now?” Cruz nods, not turning around to face you before slipping back into the water and swimming away. 

The pit doesn’t leave your stomach, an empty sauce container rolling across the rocky shore.

_ What just happened? _

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You learn a bit more about Cruz, and about yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Brief description of Animal Violence. I have denoted it by the *****.  
> It’s nothing extremely graphic, but if the genre of things you see on Shark week are not your style, then I suggest skipping over it.

“-and then he just  _ leaves _ . What do I even do with that?”

“Uh-huh, uh-huh,” Your roommate hums, refilling up your glass of wine. “And you don’t have his number, so you can’t call or text him right?” You take a large sip, nodding and trying not to spill wine on your pajamas.

_ Well, kind of _ .

You hadn’t told anyone about Cruz, not even your family, because frankly you didn't know where to start. But when you walked into the apartment, sullen and dragging your feet, your roommate, Caitlyn, had offered wine, ice cream, and a willing ear. That's when the floodgates opened (with some modified details, of course).

“We’re meeting at our usual place in a couple days, I just…”Another sip of wine,”... _ hate  _ sitting here, not knowing what he’s feeling, what I did, how  _ I’m _ feeling.” You set down your glass and throw yourself back against the couch, sinking into the cushions. “I feel so stupid, like a fucking teenager, and I  _ hate _ it.” Caitlyn sets her own wine glass down and nudges the half-empty ice cream carton towards you.

“It’s for the best your feeling all this now, then you can come at ‘im all composed and articulate. Really throw him off his game.” You grab a spoon and the carton, Caitlyn patting your shoulder as you take a pathetic bite.

“You’re right but I-I don’t even know. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

“Sounds like this guy’s got you hooked. At least that’s a start right?” Caitlyn hums, pressing her chin into her palm. “To be completely honest, Sam took a couple days to warm up to me. And  _ I _ never told her this, but she gave me hardcore pretentious vibes on our first date.”

Caitlyn gives a long spiel about her awkward first soulmate date (“Seriously, who brings up ‘the superiority of vinyl’ on the first date!”), and if you were in the mind to be a good roommate, or hadn’t heard this story before, you might’ve listened closer. But only one question was occupying your thoughts; Did Cruz like you?

\--------

You arrive at the boardwalk an hour early. You don’t immediately go to the tidepool, instead choosing to take a long walk on the beach, taking a moment to calm your racing heart and collect your thoughts.

You like Cruz. You like him as much as two people who just met can, despite a less-than-romantic first impression. But does he like you?

You never thought you would have to ask your soulmate that.

There’s a small  _ thwap _ as you slap your cheeks, heat simmering your skin even as the cold water laps at your feet. 

This is ridiculous. You’ve talked twice. Caitlyn and Sam have a thriving relationship (You should know, you share a wall with Caitlyn) and even they got off to a rocky start.

The pit grows in your stomach, thinking of Cruz’s disinterested stare as he swims into the open ocean. The weight of it almost sinks to your toes.

You shake your head, slapping your cheeks once more.

_ Today is a new day. Just go through the motions _____. _

You reach the tidepool, setting down your picnic blanket and bag. You grab one of your notebooks and prop it open as you bite into an apple. You’re 30 minutes early, might as well get some reading done.

The waves crash and pull against the rocks, pleasant studying ambience, but is interrupted by several clicks and abrupt, out of rhythm, splashes. You look up, immediately in awe of the sight.

About 50 feet away from the entrance to the tidepool is a pod of dolphins, breaching out of the water. You grab a pencil, your phone, and your notebook, tiptoeing through the tidepool to get a better look.

_ Good choice wearing water shoes today. _

From closer up, you notice the distinct lack of dorsal fins and realize they must be Northern White Whale Dolphins. 60 of them have congregated in a group, most likely scouting for easy food or taking a rest.

_ Their pod is pretty small though. What are they doing so close to the shore? _

The pod continues to play as you take shaky photos with your camera, trying to balance your notebook and pencil in the crook of your elbow. Through your viewfinder, you spot a familiar shape, not 30 feet from the pod, peeking his head out of the water. Cruz’s black eyes narrow into focus before he fully submerges. Your eyes widen as you lower your camera.

The water above Cruz rushes as he swims closer and closer to the pod. You tuck your phone back into your pocket as you finagle your way up to a nearby rock. You need a better view, and it might be best to be  _ out _ of the water while this happens.

The dolphins haven’t noticed Cruz yet, still gliding along the waves. There's a quick flash of his strong back before he dives even deeper into the water. The rock slightly digs into your stomach as you lean over to get a better look.

_ What I wouldn’t give for a drone right now. _

Before long, there is a burst of clicks, the largest dolphins quickly surrounding the group and issuing them away. They’ve spotted Cruz, but one is a little too slow.

Cruz’s dorsal fin cuts through the water, close enough to the surface that you can make out the details of his determined face. His eyes have latched onto the slowest dolphin and his speed increases exponentially. His long tail flicks back and forth as he gains on it.

*******

The dolphin flips into the air, trying to gain distance. But like a flash Cruz’s large hand shoots out of the water, getting a hold of the dolphin’s tail, and pulls. You see his shoulder and tricep bulge as the dolphin thrashes in his grip. His head once again breaches the water as he digs his other clawed hand into the dolphin’s side, raking into it as he pulls the dolphin closer to him. The two tussle and wrestle against each other, going in and out of the water as the dolphin tries to push Cruz away.

But Cruz is limber, keeping a tight grip on the dolphin as he maneuvers his body alongside it. His torso raises up as he pushes the dolphin down under the water andinto submission. Cruz then yanks the dolphin’s front upwards and out of the water, grip still tight on it’s rear, before opening up his maw and tearing into the dolphin’s neck. He rips his head back and forth until the dolphin stills, a large pool of red slowly cascading around them.

*******

Your pencil hangs loosely in your fingers as you watch, eyes locked on Cruz. You think the struggle must’ve lasted only 20 seconds, but in the moment, it felt like hours. Cruz’s chest heaves as he takes another bite, serrated teeth easily ripping the flesh, as casual as the lobster roll from your last meeting.

Blood drips from his mouth and covers his claws. His cards his fingers back through his hair, leaving crimson streaks that shine against his black locks. Cruz bites off another mouthful before heaving the dolphin onto his shoulder.

As a large science nerd, you’ve always enjoyed watching nature in progress. But a new, exciting, vaguely uncomfortable feeling stirs in your gut as you watch Cruz suck in his fingers, picking out stray bits of meat from his large, sharp teeth. A feeling like a shiver rushing down your spine and heat in between your legs.

_ Oh my god. Why was that the hottest thing I’ve ever seen? _

Cruz turns away and submerges himself, giving you a nice shot of his defined back muscles as he sums up his hunt. You can’t take your eyes off his form moving just below the water, even as your 5 PM alarm goes off. 

You knew Cruz was larger, and far stronger, than you, but seeing him in his element reminds you just how easily he could tear you apart.

_ God, and I kind of want him to. _

As he swims further away from the shore, you see two black dots in the distance. You take out your phone again and open up the camera to zoom in.

_ Speaking of huge. Holy shit. _

The focus is a little blurry, but it’d be hard for you to miss the massive mermaids. With only their shoulders and up out of water, they still tower over Cruz by at least a head each. Both have long black hair, intertwined with what looks to be seaweed and various types of shells. The one on the right is holding two larger masses over her shoulders, positioned the way a lumberjack would hold a fallen tree. Cruz reemerges with his dolphin in tow, frighteningly small.

Cruz’s gestures indicate they’re having a conversation, mostly one-sided. The dolphin on Cruz’s back bounces as he talks animatedly, his hunt small when compared to the two weights the right mermaid carries. With your old phone you can only catch a glimpse of the left mermaid’s lips moving. Cruz’s energy dims as she continues and he seems to sink deeper into the water.

The left mermaid holds out her hand. Cruz hesitates, then throws his dolphin into her arms. She swings it over like it weighs nothing and then shakes her hand as if to shoo him away. The right one rumbles with laughter. Cruz nods, solemn as the two submerge and swim away.

Cruz stays there for a minute, looking out at the horizon. When he finally turns, his movements are lethargic as he swims towards the tidepool.

You scramble down from the rock and quickly tiptoe back to your blanket, fumbling to stuff your notebook and pencil back into your bag.

Cruz glides in, his eyes not meeting yours, locked in thought.

“Hey Cruz.” You wave, struggling to catch your breath from your impromptu rush.

Cruz slowly looks up at you, still slightly downcast.

“Hey. Sorry I’m late.” You shake your head furiously.

“It’s no problem! I got her kind of early, and then I saw you hunting and didn’t want to bother.” Cruz’s eyes widen a bit, before her recoils into himself and sheepishly rubs the back of his neck.

“Oh, sorry. You probably didn’t want to see that….” You once again shake your hands and head back and forth.

“No! No I-, I actually thought it was super cool!” Cruz quirks his eyebrows.

“What?”

“Yeah! It was like my own personal Shark week. Like  _ wow _ , you looked amazing out there.”

Cruz’s cheek tint a cerulean blue, the corners of his lips turning up at the sides as he fiddles with his fingers.

“And those dolphins are the fastest kind around here, but bam! You were on them like a firecracker, kind of wish I had a slow motion camera.” You laugh, before realizing Cruz probably didn’t understand half of your analogies. “You looked uh, you were really good at it.”

_ Well duh, you idiot. He’s a shark. _

“Thank you.” Cruz shoots you a tiny smile, blush still running across his face and down his neck. The ensuing silence is only slightly uncomfortable, as Cruz’s blush stays strong and you're sure you develop one of your own. You try and focus on something else to calm down, but catch a glimpse of his biceps, and fail miserably.

“Oh, that’s right.” Cruz reaches over and sticks his hand in between two nearby rocks. His brow furrows before his eyes light up, and he pulls out a….handbag?

It’s loosely sewn together with kelp, made of some sort of seal skin and closed with a seashell button. Cruz pops it open and begins to rummage inside.

“Gotcha.” Cruz pulls something out of the bag, before turning and hiding it behind his back.

“Uh, whatcha got there?” Cruz smiles, his blue blush painting his face from top to tip.

“I found this thing and thought you um….might want to look at it?” Cruz pulls his arm in front, revealing a reflective white shell, just a bit longer than his palm.

“It’s not a crab, but I thought it was neat looking so….”

You slowly move towards him, gesturing to ask if you can hold the shell. Cruz nods, almost shoving it into your hand.

The color is completely white, sharp, almost polished-looking. It carves into several rings before sloping into a point. It’s empty, the inside free of any sand or tiny algae.

“Do you know what it’s called?”

You look back to Cruz and nearly brush your nose against his. You realize how hot his body heat is as he leans over you to look at the shell. Your shoulders just barely touch.

As if dipped into boiling water, your face alights into red and your body convulses to jerk away from the heat. 

“Yeah-Yes! Actually I do, it’s-it looks like a Kellets W-Welk. Well, the remains of one’s shell anyway.” 

Cruz stays close, letting out a small “Ohhh.” as he squints his eyes to get a closer look. It’s the most on-land you’ve seen him, with the water lapping at the base of his tail. Sitting down, your head only comes to his clavicle. The uncomfortable burning stirs in your gut.

“Is it a hermit crab?”

“Not, it’s a sea snail. They're not really on land like crabs.” You brush your thumbs over the shell’s ridges. “There are quite a few varieties of sea snails around here, lots of beautiful shells. Their babies look pretty cool too.”

Cruz nods, eyes intent, and it reminds you of the elementary kids you saw when working at the aquarium. Your heart skips as you futilely try to fight the smile on your face.

“Can you eat ‘em?”

You chuckle and Cruz’s face grows a darker shade of blue. “Yeah, you can. You’ve got a good eye for snacks huh?”

Cruz pouts playfully, blue still awash on his cheeks. “Maybe, but I’m not  _ always _ thinking about food.” Just as he finishes, you hear his stomach rumble. You stifle your laugh with your hand and Cruz grabs his stomach angrily. “Sh-Shut up! It’s almost dinner!”

The two mermaids flash in your mind. You see Cruz handing over the dolphin as they swim away. Then you see Cruz, furiously cracking open crabs with a single-minded purpose. The smile drops from your chin.

_ How often does that happen? _

Cruz was small for a Great White. You hadn’t even thought about why. You don’t even know if you want to.

“They’re pretty tasty, but their shells are a lot more fun.” Cruz furrows his brow again. “Here, let me show you.” You scoot yourself closer to him, putting the white shell against his ear. His eyes widen and he leans backwards a bit from your closeness, but the shell still lingers by his ear. “Do you hear it?”

Cruz stills, furrowing his brows even deeper, but then they rise in surprise. He leans back towards you, tentatively grabbing your wrist and pulling the shell closer.

“Its-”

“The ocean.”

The same childlike wonder from before flushes on his face as he looks at you, bringing your stomach a flutter. Cruz presses his head down closer to the shell, the bottom of his cheek now touching your palm. Cruz’s skin is cool against yours, slightly damp, and you feel the hint of roughness as his chin brushes against your wrist.

“How-How did you-”

“My mom showed me once. I mean,  _ technically _ it’s the echo of the blood coursing through your ear, which reverberates and sounds like waves crashing. But it’s still a neat trick.”

“Oh, I see….”

From this close, you can see the small freckles which dapple Cruz’s cheeks, peppering across the bridge of his nose and up onto his forehead. Specks of dark blue, black, and green contrasts against his light gray skin, like the setting sun catching the pulling tides.

In the moment, you long to touch them.

So you do.

_ It’s so….soft. _

As your thumb brushes up his jaw, the mottled colors are overwhelmed and overshadowed by Cruz’s furious blush. Cruz moves away so quickly that he unfurls his grip on a nearby rock and loses his balance. He braces himself and hisses as his thin skin nicks the corner of a rock.

“Oh my god, I’m so-so sorry! I just- oh my goodness are you okay?” You retract the shell closer to your chest, your other hand outstretched to steady Cruz. When he flinches away, you pull it back. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have invaded your personal space like that.”

Cruz's chest heaves but he doesn’t move or say anything. From the corner of your eye you spot a tiny bit of blood leaking onto the rock. 

“Oh shit, wait I-I should have something.” You whip around to your backpack, shuffling and pushing aside your notebook to find your emergency first aid kit. Water wells in the corner of your eyes as you frantically search. You desperately try to will the tears away.

_ Stupid, stupid, stupid stupid- _

Your inner insults are interrupted when your fingers brush against the familiar plastic fabric pouch. Before turning back to Cruz, you hastily wipe your eyes.

“Here, this should help.” You hold out the small thing of gauze and an antiseptic wipe. Cruz slowly takes them, fiddling with the gauze until it's undone. He picks up the antiseptic package with the tips of his forefinger and thumb, eyes squinting as he tries to read the small text. 

“That’s to clean the wound with, to get the gross stuff out.” Cruz’s eyes narrow even further, brushing his thumb over the paper wrapping. Tentatively, he plops the unwrapped wipe on his wound. He looks back, clearly confused. “You have to unwrap it first, then wipe it.” His blush returns as he jerks his eyes away from you, embarrassed with you watching.

“I could do-”

“I’ve got it.” Cruz snaps, finding the perforation and ripping it off quickly.

“Okay, but it’s gonna sting-”

“Ow, shit!” Cruz curses as he presses the wipe against the apex of his cut, whining and biting his lower lip. 

“If it’s hurting that means it’s working.” Cruz nods, but he hastily wipes the wound and sighs as he crumples it up.Cruz wraps his cut with medical precision, reminding you of boxers right before a match. He cuts the gauze short with a snip of his teeth

“Wow, you're really good at that.” Cruz snorts.

“I don’t need any jackasses going into a frenzy anytime soon. That would be the perfect end to this shit day.”

Your heart freezes as your stomach drops, and you recoil into yourself. The nausea of guilt washes over you. And then  _ that _ makes you feel even worse, and so the cycle continues.

Cruz notices your sheepish, downtrodden stare, and frantically waves his good hand.

“Wait, shit, no, thats-thats not what I meant. Uh…” He loses track of his sentence, mouth agape as he looks for words. “I mean….thank you.” He fiddles with his claws. “For the bandage, a-and the food a couple days ago. This is...nice.”

You’re almost embarrassed by how quickly his praise perks you up, rolling over your tense muscles like a masseuse.

“Thank you for the shell, it was very thoughtful of you.” Cruz sputters.

“I just passed by it on a swim, it wasn’t a big deal. The reefs got a ton of them, so, y’know.”

You don’t know, but it’s cute watching him fumble with his words. He’s so bashful for an apex predator you saw kill a dolphin not 20 minutes ago.

“I could even-well, it’s close that we- we could go sometime? You and me?” Cruz fiddles with his claws once more, and you wonder if it’s a nervous compulsion. “It’s a little ways away from the coast but with me carrying you, we could probably see a lot.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.” Cruz’s nervous smile is much more lopsided than his regular one. It accentuates the dimple on his left cheek.

“I would love that.”

\-----------

You decide to meet up early on Saturday to get a head start on the sunlight. You leave the boardwalk giddy, your nerves tingling pleasantly with pre-plan jitters. All this energy means you might have to spill to Caitlyn once more, just to let it all out. You’ll most likely tell her you two are getting breakfast by the beach, maybe stop by an aquarium.

_ Looking at all the coral and the crustaceans. Just me, in Cruz’s arms- _

You stop, your nerves bubbling up under your skin, like steam is blowing out of your ears as you think about what is in store for Saturday. 

You’re still not sure how Cruz feels about you. But there isn’t a show of a doubt now; You have a crush on him.

\----------

Cruz sits in the water, cracking open a leftover oyster he had left in his bag for emergencies. Emergencies like being so flustered he can't possibly go back to the pod, not without looking incredibly suspicious.

He brushes his thumb over his cheek, and it’s almost like you're there again.

_ So….soft. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I've gotten into the habit of writing these fics in my notebook before I go to sleep, but wow is typing them up a pain in the ass. I had this chapter finished last Thursday but between classes and shit it took forever for me to finalize it and edit. Hope you enjoy!


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Cruz go for a morning swim in the reef.

That Friday, you stay up late, not drinking or binging a new Netflix special, but fruitlessly trying to decide between your athletic shorts are your more revealing swim bottoms. In a stroke of genius the only ever occurs to a person late at night, you wear the shorts over your swimsuit, topped off with a swim shirt. 

With your water-proof swim bag, you sit at the tidepool and furtively lather your legs and shoulders in sunscreen, waiting for Cruz. 

Cruz swims up to the edge of the tidepool, pulling himself up and over the rocks before motioning you over.

“Okay, the cool stuff is just less than half of a klick away, I’ll be carrying you on my back the whole way, but some of it’s underwater. Would you-” Cruz stammers, “Would you mind if I took you down with me, to see it?”

You feel that involuntary smile creep up on you.

“I would love that.”

\--------

It’s an odd sensation, sitting on Cruz’s back. You had worried yourself and all your gear would be too heavy, but Cruz barely seems to notice the extra weight. You're placed on the bottom of his torso, right before it connects into tail, but you can still feel it’s movements as he swims through the water. It feels almost like a python, muscles pulling and contracting, his arms reaching out occasionally for a large stroke to gain a temporary boost of speed. He’s not moving so fast that the wind or splashes of water hit your skin, but you can still feel the waves pushing over your feet and thighs. The view is breathtaking and you have a nice time looking at Cruz’s ripped back as well.

When you see some small rock outcroppings by the shore that Cruz stops and raises his head out of the water, adjusting you on his back like one would carry someone in a piggyback ride. The tips of his claws brush against your thighs. You are for sure blushing.

“We’re here. Do you remember the signals?”

You nod, responding with the Okay hand signal. 

Apparently Cruz had self-taught himself scuba-diving signals, although he initially had thought they were limited to human “ocean-spies” trying to steal precious fish from the pod (“That’s what the older kids in my pod told me! Stop laughing!”). You yourself were a certified scuba diver, and had gone many times with your mother during college. 

With a nod and a hand motion, you two submerge, a bloom of color all around you.

Your arms lang loosely around Cruz’s shoulders, chest pressed against his backside and legs hiked up around his hips to give him maximum mobility. A particular bright hydrocoral catches your eye amidst the rainbow, your heart leaping at the sight. You point urgently in it's direction, unintentionally clenching your legs in excitement. Cruz’s chest rumbles with a giggle, bubbles popping through his mouth and gills. He shrugs his shoulder to bring your body closer to it. 

The purple stretches across the rocks in circular bunches, with the occasional starfish interspersed in between. With a good look, you can see the tiny spines and tiny perforations on it’s surfaces. You tap Cruz’s shoulder and throw your thumb up.

Once out of water and properly breathing, you fingers tap eagerly against Cruz’s shoulder blades.

“Cool, right?”

“Yeah! I’ve never seen that kind of hydrocoral up close before. I’ve heard the California corals were beautiful but wow, those were gorgeous. And that patch was so big, it must be- I don’t even _ know _ how old! They grow extremely slow, you see, and because of excess-”” Your eyes glance over your shaky fingers, fidgeting and dancing across Cruz’s as the words fall out of your mouth. You forcibly still them. You gulp. “They don’t have those where I’m from. Sorry, I talk too much.” You force out a giggle.

You peel your fingertips away from Cruz, picking at your fingernails as your neck tints red. The heat makes you pull your arms into yourself and away from Cruz’s slick skin. Your thighs lock tight around his waist to stay on.

“Does it have a name?”

“They just call it California Purple Hydrocoral, since it’s so localized. Nothing too fancy, even though it’s so unique.” Typically, to calm yourself down, you fiddle with your clothing or whatever you have your hand on. With Cruz’s body so close by, your first compulsion is to trace shape alongside his back, map the muscle and bone’s topography. But just the idea of such intimacy sends your head in a swirl.”

“What makes them so unique? Just where they live?” Cruz playfully scoffs, “Because I’ve lived in one area for years and you don’t see  _ me _ getting any trophies.” You chuckle, Cruz arching his neck to smirk at you. 

“Well not not only are they super old, but most corals lose their color when they die and California Purple Hydrocorals don’t. The pigment is so deeply embedded in their skeleton, it remains even after they’re gone.” You float your eyes downwards towards the sea, in the direction where you get merely a glimpse of the bright purple mass. “It’s kind of their legacy, hence the name. That color is so intrinsic to what they are, not even death or time could take it from them.”

The water is cool and the sun is hot, beating down at the exposed skin on your neck and back while your feet mindlessly kick back and forth. Cruz’s muscles shift as he turns his head farther back towards you. Your eyes are lost at sea, caught in the coral possibilities. There’s an absentminded smile on your face. It brings one to his.

“You’re really fun to talk to, ____.”

You’re snapped back into reality, eyes yanked out of the water and back to Cruz’s own. The inky black stares back, serious and focused.

“Wow, thank you. That’s very sweet of you to say Cruz.”

You avert your eyes in a polite gesture, rubbing the back of your neck. Cruz keeps staring. You can feel it tingling across your cheeks.

“I mean it. You’re really smart.”

“Oh, well, I just study a lot-”

“And-and you shouldn’t have to apologize when you get, y’know,  _ into _ it.”

Cruz looks away, jaw clenched. “Not to anybody. Not to me,  _ especially _ not to me, because you’re so-so….” He struggles with his words, chin shaking with unreleased energy, “You love it so much and that’s-you should be able to talk about it whenever. Because it makes you happy and any assholes out there shouldn’t ruin that for you, and I-” His chest heaves as he stutters, blue flushing his skin, “I-I like it, when you’re happy, I mean.” Cruz’s breaths are short and quick, his cerulean blush painting the back of his neck and crawling up to his ears. “Does that make sense?”

Words escape you at this moment, like Cruz sucked up all the energy in the moment. In a good way, he’s pulled the rug out from under you. Your eyes wander, brain turning over his words.

But Cruz can’t hear your inner thoughts, he can only feel your still muscles and the lull in the conversation.

“I-Shit, I didn’t mean-”

Your body jerks back to life as you lean over Cruz’s shoulder with a quick motion, eyes squinting in the middle distance. Cruz jerks.

“Cruz, submerge real quick!”

“What?”

You jerk your thumb down and shakily put on your goggles and snorkel with one hand. “Quick! It’s going to notice us!”

Cruz, befuddled, tightens his grip on your thighs and submerges. His head swivels back and forth, looking for what has gotten you so fussy. You extend both of your arms, pointing about 10 feet away, to the side of a bunch of coral. You then close your hands horizontally, interlocking your fingers into your signal.

_ Turtle! _

Besides the small rock is a large Leatherback Turtle, blissfully unaware of the two creatures not too far from it, taking a leisurely swim. Your right arm wraps around Cruz’s clavicle as you lean over to get a better look, enchanted by her beautiful shell. Amidst the reef, she looks like a dolled up grandma, wrinkled and taking an afternoon continental in the garden.

Cruz ducks behind another rock as she swims closer, trying not to scare the turtle away. Your arm tightens around his shoulder, eyes never tearing from her. 

You don’t notice, but Cruz feels himself falling deeper when he looks at the wonder in your gaze. Never before has he ever felt so jealous of a turtle.

She cruises along, Cruz dodging just out of her sight but close enough to give you a good view, all while giving you a spare breath whenever you gesture. As she swims back towards the open ocean, Cruz takes you both up and out of the water.

You whip off your goggles and snorkel, taking a long breathe in.

“That was- wow, that was incredible.”

“She was so pretty I didn’t think about eating her for like, forty percent of that time.”

You smack Cruz on the shoulder, but it’s light, half-joking, and an unflattering snort leaves you. Cruz shoots you a toothful smirk.

A light sea breeze rolls over you two, abating the hot sun, although just a bit. The water has thoroughly sunk into your swimsuit bottoms, pulling down with extra weight on your lower half, but you’ve never felt lighter.

In the tranquility, you rest your front on Cruz’s back, head now tucked into the nook of his shoulder. The smell of salt and a slight tang of fish immediately washes your nostrils. Cruz’s shoulders and deltoids stiffen for a millisecond and slowly relax in another.

“Hey, Cruz?” You whisper, almost mumble into his skin.

“Y-yeah?”

“Thanks.”

\----------

Your muscles slightly ache from the long swim this morning, and boardwalk food is the perfect level of unhealthy to abade it for a bit.

As you walk back to the tidepool, arms cluttered with overpriced boardwalk food, Cruz’s eyes light up. You struggle to sit down easily, but manage to crouch down to Cruz’s level, motoning for him to grab the hotdog from the crook of your elbow.

He does, but Cruz’s eyes are locked on the two Cotton Candies which you hold in a tight grip; The water laps at your ankles and you don’t want the $7 you spent to go to waste.

“Trust me, this will be best after a full meal. Don’t want you getting nauseous.” Cruz lets out a facetious, over-dramatic sigh, but with one bite of a hot dog, his eyes alight once more. He devours the thing quickly, almost with one gulp, whipping his head around to the cotton candy. He wiggles his eyebrows and you sigh, motioning for him to come closer.

Cruz seats himself up on the rock next you, pupils sparkling as you hand him the cotton candy stick. He takes a large bite and is immediately overwhelmed by the sweetness and how quickly the sugar melts in his mouth. 

“Is that supposed to happen?”

You chuckle, taking a much tinier bite out of your own cotton candy.

“Yes, it is. It dissolves in liquid, hence the ‘no water’ thing.” Cruz nods, spun sugar strings stuck to his lips as he attacks the cotton candy like a toddler. You smile, taking another bite. 

The two of you continue to snack in silence. The end of Cruz’s tail flicks back and forth, stirring tiny ripples in the pool, extremely cute and reminiscent of an excited dog. After licking away the rest of your cotton candy, you lean over to the trash bag to drop off your paper stick. It’s then do you see them.

With your face up close to Cruz’s tail, you notice lines of discoloration, streaks of white, which pepper Cruz’s tail. Your eye catches one, then another, and another. By the time you pull back, you notice quite a few all near his pelvic fins, the tip of a larger one stretching to the bottom side of his tail.

_ Holy shit. How did I not notice those? _

On the side of his tail, three marks stand out to you. Their pink, freshly healed, and rake along his skin for 2 inches.

“Uh, Cruz?”

“Yemf?” He asks, amidst another big bite of cotton candy.

“Did you accidentally cut yourself on some coral?”

_ About 20 pieces of coral, technically? _

Cruz hesitates mid bite, sweet spun sugar and some sort of excuse on the tip of his tongue.

“What do you mean?” Cruz’s voice, same octave, is somehow quieter, devoid of emotion.

“It’s just, you have all these marks on your tail and…” You pull back and turn your back to him. Cruz averts his gaze, but the look he gives his tail is frustrated and simmering. “I got worried, that’s all.”

“They’re nothing, it’s nothing. You wouldn’t understand.” His intonation, like his furrowed brow, bristles with a hostile energy. You turn your whole body towards him, now a bit peeved yourself.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I said it’s not a big deal. I just did something stupid, went somewhere I shouldn’t have. That’s it.” Cruz still refuses to meet your gaze, knuckles clenched white around the cotton candy stick. Your eyes dart back to the littered scars.

_ Who did this to him? Was it those mermaids I saw? _

“Does that happen often? Wouldn’t your pod-”

“Can we just fucking drop it? It doesn’t matter anyway.” Cruz bites back, almost a yell but not quite. Your eyebrows furrow.

“Well it matters to me. If you’re getting hurt then-”

“Then what? Why the fuck does it matter if I get a few scrapes now and again, why do you even care, huh?” Cruz’s glare burrows into your skin, you can feel your eyes go wide. Something deep, something heated and bitter, stirs in your gut.“You don’t have to do anything. Just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean you have to pretend shit. I’m not so pathetic that you have to  _ force _ yourself to-”

“Can you stop putting words in my mouth for one  _ fucking _ minute!” This time, you actually do scream, which echoes off the water and the rocks. Cruz’s eyes widened, stopped in the middle of his tirade. Whatever burns inside boils over, released in hot breathes and the steam under your skin. 

“Is it so hard to believe that I might care about you?” Your voice cracks with lost breath and the fast pounding of your heart. You pinch the bridge of your nose and with a deep inhale and exhale, you continue.

“My whole life, people have expected this one thing of me, and I spent so long doing everything I could to be the exact opposite. But I  _ want _ -” You gesture your hands to yourself and Cruz, “-this. I want to get to know you, I want to hang out and eat expensive seafood and talk about bullshit! But I can’t do that if you won’t talk to me.” You take a deep breath, Cruz not even taking the moment to jump in. “And I get that it’s hard, that we don’t know each other yet. But I  _ want _ to trust you. I want you to trust  _ me _ .”

A wave breaks against a rock, the noises drowned out in the chasm of Cruz’s gaze and the beating of your heart. You can’t read the emotions on his face, what with a thousand thoughts flitting across it and the emotion welling in your eyes. The smell of brine seeps into your skin. You tuck your hands into your elbows, hoping that will stop their shaking. 

“I just-”

“I-”

You both pause, caught in the middle of your thoughts. Cruz sputters.

“Sorry, I interrupted you, you can go.”

“No, no you can go.”

There’s another pause, each of you waiting for the other to go. Cruz finally steps up.

“I’m sorry for accusing you. I was making assumptions and-, and that’s not fair to you.” He expounds in one quick breathem sucking another in before continuing. “Since we met I’ve been….going through some stuff and I think I wanted to let it out. But I shouldn’t-I shouldn’t have, not on you, not for shit that’s not even remotely your fault, _damn it_.” Cruz laments, pressing his face into his hands. He takes a deep breath in, then out, and pulls his hands away. “I’m sorry.” He sighs again, scratching nervously behind his ears.

You let the sentence hang in the air a bit, trying to consolidate your mind and think hard about what to say. It’s far from easy, trying to find the words and express them properly. But it feels good. It feels right, cathartic almost.

“Thank you. And you don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want to. We can take our time with all….this.” You untuck your hands and wave towards the air. Cruz laughs and this time, it actually  _ settles _ the butterflies in your stomach. “I just want you to know that I’m here for you, whether to talk it out or even distract for a bit.” 

Cruz hums in agreement, rubbing his fingers over his knuckles.

“Thanks, for that. And I-I’ll be here for you too, i-if you need it. I mean, you know where to find me.” You giggle, a bubble of exhaustion popping out of your mouth as Cruz joins you. You feel infinitely lighter. A wave brushes against your ankle, the ocean slowly eroding the thick stress in the air.

Cruz and you stand about 1 foot apart from each other, your leftovers discarded in the plastic bag by your side. Cruz fidgets with his fingers some more, eyes glancing back and forth between you and the rocks.

“Can I….Can I hold your hand?” Cruz murmurs.

You don’t respond, just nodding and lifting out your hand. Cruz slips his in.

His skin is damp, slightly cold, and he relishes in the heat of your palm. His fingers dwarf yours as they intertwine, his long claws just barely grazing your skin, careful not to actually cut the back of your hand. You brush your thumb over his knuckles and up his palm. His hands are soft, although his palms are dotted by small calluses. Cruz scoots closer to you, both of you looking out at the ocean. With a full belly and your muscles still quite sore, you rest your head on Cruz’s shoulder. You feel his muscles tense to jerk away, but they forcibly relax as he grips your palm tight. You rub his knuckles once more.

It may not be much, but it’s a start. And you think you quite like where it is heading.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in this weird state of wanting to properly research stuff for my fics, but then also saying "fuck it." because I want cute stuff to happen. Anyway, I learned a lot about coral while writing this chapter, so much so that here's a fun fact for you:  
> Hydrocoral's aren't true stony corals, but rather are hydrozoans with calcareous skeletons which cause them to resemble coral.  
> Next chapter should be out in the next week and a half!


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cruz makes a request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Sharks are drawn to the sounds of Heavy Metal, apparently because it resembles the low frequencies of a struggling fish!  
> (Does that mean Metal is like, Shark ASMR? Possibly)

“No no, close, but a little deeper. Like this.” Cruz’s chuff is low, hitting an octave you're not sure you could sink to even if you tried. The deep engine-rumble then smoothly transitions to a high whistle, far more musical and pleasant. You try once more to mimic the way his throat tremors, but your tongue gets caught in the middle, ruining the seam into a higher pitch. You wince and look towards Cruz with a grimace. He gives you a shaky smile.

“That was….”

“Terrible?”

“Yeah, no, definitely terrible.” You both break into a laugh as you playfully hit Cruz on the shoulder.

“Sorry, I’ll try again.” You say, midst your chuckles. Cruz smiles and grabs your hand, rubbing his thumb over yours. Over the past 5 weeks, he had gotten far more comfortable holding and touching you. The farthest it had gone was the handholding, but whenever he snuck his palm into yours, it felt far more intimate than any hug or kiss you’ve had before.

“It’s no problem. I like Cruz, it fits pretty well.” You sigh, fiddling with his fingers and pouting.

“But it’s your  _ name _ ! I should at least try and get it right.” You try once more to imitate his vocalizations, but your tongue struggles to roll properly, and you make a noise not dissimilar to an elderly smoker coughing. You throw your face in your hands. Cruz chuckles and pets your palm.

“You know, I think I have an uncle with a name like that.” You blow a raspberry at him and he sticks his tongue out. “Don’t worry about it, seriously.” You peak from in between your fingers and smile. Cruz grins back while nonchalantly drawing circles on nearby rock.

You sigh once more and throw your hands down in defeat. Cruz pats your hand conciliatory.

“Alright, Alright. I do have something for you though.” You reach for your backpack. Cruz quirks his eyebrow and leans his chest up and out of the water. His face is blocked by your haphazard left-hand as your right fumbles with your zipper. “No peeking! It’s a surprise!” Cruz smiles against your palm, before plucking it away from him and turning away. Once sure he isn’t looking, you pull out your present. “So, y’know the ringtone I have that you love?”

Cruz nods, still looking away.

“Well…” You lean over and tap his shoulder, pulling out the baby blue portable cassette player. Cruz whips his head around, brow furrowing before he reaches his hand out to grab it. You quickly pull it just out of his reach. “Ah, I should probably explain how it works first.” From the side pocket of your bag, you grab a new pair of headphones. Cruz follows your motions, leaning over your shoulder. His breath grazes over the back of your neck, warm and comforting, like hot tea on a cold day. You still get goosebumps down your spine when he gets this close. 

“First off, it’s best not to get it wet, so you probably will want to keep it in your pack until I find a waterproof case.” You murmur, struggling to untangle the chords. “Second,” You click the top button on the top side, “This button starts it, this button,” your thumb grazes the middle button “stops it, and this final button skips to the next track. This little dial adjusts the volume.” Tilting your head back, you see Cruz’s eyes squint even more, drawing a chuckle from you. “Third, I’ll give you a demonstration.”

Cruz tilts his head as you put in the right headphone, slipping the other into your own ear. Making sure you don’t burst your or Cruz’s eardrums, you bring the dial almost to the bottom, then click play. 

Cruz’s face perks up as the slamming drums and growling guitar start the song, the deep bass of the lead singer kicking off the tape. His hand moves to your shoulder, gripping it tightly as his smile widens and he leans over, bobbing his head with the tune. 

“What is-How’d you-” His voice is shockingly, overcompensating over the headphones, and you laugh as you lean your head away. 

“I made a mixtape for you! You seemed to vibe with my Led Zeppelin ringtone so I compiled some other metal music for you. I’m not a huge fan of the genre, so let me know what you like. Then I can perfect my craft.” You giggle, pulling out your headphone and gently placing it in Cruz’s ear. He continues to bob his head to the beat, palm slipping down from your shoulder and back into your hand. He takes the cassette player into his left and keeps his grip tight, raising his arm high and away from the water. At the edge of the tidepool, you can see his caudal fin flick back and forth.

Taking a bite out of a granola bar, you sit and watch Cruz. His eyes are pinched shut, smile wide as he grooves to the music. The air feels lighter and so does your chest, a simple pleasure in your hectic week.

It was nearing midterm season and your visits to the beach had quickly become a haven, a little hidden comfort where the two of you could just be yourselves. Over time they had carved out a spot in your weekly schedule, and you and Cruz’s meetups went from twice a week, to three times a week, to four times a week. The past two Saturdays you had planned out four hours for date night; Mostly swimming along the beach, chilling under the boardwalk, and eating. Although you were currently in the process of planning a “movie night” next week. There was a small inlet not too far from the tidepool, cut off from the rest of the beach by a large, flat rock. Caitlyn offered to let you borrow her projector for “maximum ambiance”.

The small voice in the back of your mind nudges your self-conscious attitude and wonders if Cruz enjoys your visits as much as you do, but you're quick to squash it. Your fingertips brush over his wrist, feeling the contrast of soft sandpaper as the rub back and forth. Looking at Cruz, seeing his big, boyish smile, twists up your stomach in the best way possible. Your brain can go stuff it.

Through the headphones, you hear the erratic drum beat fade out into nothingness as the cassette prepares the next track. Cruz opens his eyes, squeezing your palm as you nudge his shoulder. He grins.

“Did you like that song?”

“Yeah, it was really good. Thanks again, this means a lo-” Cruz’s heartfelt compliment is cut off by the loud rumble of his stomach. The cerulean flush quickly covers his cheek and muddles any sauve attitude he had been trying to emulate. Your chuckle is muffled through your fist.

“Wow, my taste in music is that good?”

Cruz pushes against your shoulder with his. “It’s almost six, don’t flatter yourself.” You laugh once more, leaning your forehead against his bicep, just feeling his body warmth and closeness. You let out a satisfied hum before patting his arm.

“I’ll let you go hunt. I should probably get started on dinner anyway.” Using Cruz to push yourself up, you huff as you shake out your almost-asleep legs. Cruz stabilizes you with his right hand, resting on your outer thigh. The palm mark sears through your jeans and into your skin.

_ God, there truly is no one else more touch starved than I. _

“Before you go, I-I have something to tell you.” Cruz says, catching your attention. His eyes don’t meet yours, his hand tentatively clenching around your leg. If you hadn’t immediately become worried, you might have fainted from the gesture. You lean down, caressing his shoulder blade.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“It’s-it’s my mom.” Cruz swallows, before looking up. “She wants to meet you.” 

The shock lowers you to a crouch, ignoring the burning in your knees as you grip tighter onto Cruz’s shoulder. “Oh. Really?” Cruz nods.

“She thought you could come to dinner. There's this cave, where the whole pod gathers once a month. It’s pretty comfy actually.” Cruz expounds, fiddling with his fingers. “We don’t usually eat together, but it’s pretty typical for mates to meet each other’s family after a hunt. Although, this would go a little differently.”

Cruz and you have had a brief conversation on the subject of your families. You immediately pushed off him meeting your parents at least till a year from now. With school work, the feasibility of him ‘traveling’, and the whole “Shark Merman” thing, it was an obvious conclusion. But Cruz barely mentioned his own pod, nor his immediate family, and you didn’t feel confident enough to push the topic. It seemed to be an obvious sore spot. So you lean into Cruz’s grip and slowly massage his shoulder with your steady hand.

“Yeah, that could work. I’m free Monday afternoon because of the holiday. You think your mom could wait until then?” Cruz nods tentatively but stays silent, absentmindedly latching onto the hand on his shoulder before looking down at the water. He plays with your fingers like he usually does with his own. A nervous gesture, but sort of sweet. “I don’t have to meet them yet. If you're not comfortable, I can come up with an excuse.” Gripping tighter onto your wrist, Cruz shakes his head. 

“No. No, I do want you to be there. To meet them. I would like that very much.” His grip is still tight, but Cruz still shoots you a furtive grin. “I think we should do it.”

You smile. “Okay, whatever you need baby.”

Cruz's face quickly becomes a cascade of blue. The adorableness of his expression helps you overcome your own nerves, getting a laugh out of you even as your own blush begins to burn. “That's okay? Or would you prefer sweetheart, pumpkin, snookums, Nemo-” Cruz’s playful nudge almost knocks you off your balance, but you steady yourself on Cruz’s bicep amidst your giggles.

Even if meeting his family is daunting, at least you know Cruz will be there beside you.

\---------

That Monday, you come to the tidepool in your most flattering wetsuit and your waterproof backpack. Cruz said the only way to reach the cave was by going underwater first, but was quick enough that you wouldn’t need any of your scuba gear. It had been hard fighting the instinct to do up your hair or face in any fancy way, despite knowing anything you do would probably be ruined by salt water anyway.

You would be having dinner around 5, meeting Cruz at 4:45, so you wouldn’t be stuck walking home in a soaking wetsuit late at night. Your nerves compelled you to show up by 4:40, just in case.

Cruz glides into the tidepool and the light bounces off wrapped around his neck. You rub your eye as it reflects into your pupil.

_ Woah _ .

Up close, you see that Cruz’s short hair has been slicked back against his skull, 3 seashell earrings pierce one of his ears, and a string of sea glass pebbles chokes his neck, glistening with water droplets and the sun rays filtering through them. His attire is slightly alien but distinctly noble; He looks like an underwater prince you might see on the cover of a Romance webcomic. Your heart skips a beat and your fingers pick at the plain color of your wetsuit.

“Wow. Cruz, you look-”

“I know, I know. My dad made me wear it.” He mutters, rubbing his shoulder, a slight blush on his face. “He insisted I dress ‘traditionally’ for tonight. But it’s pretty dorky, huh?”

You shake your head, quickly sitting down in the water so you could get to Cruz’s eye level. “I like it! You look very handsome. Siren-esque, I would say.” You quirk up your brows. “Wait, do  _ those _ exist?” Cruz chuckles and shakes his head.

“No, but thank you. I always hated dressing up but,” His blush returns, a nice contrast against the light pinks and purples of the choker, “I guess it isn’t  _ too _ bad.” Cruz murmurs, picking at his fingers. 

You reach for his hand, interlocking your fingers, and notice he’s also wearing some rings. Rather than hand-crafted, like his other jewelry, these look like they were scavenged from the beach. Some are sterling silver rings who have long since chipped into a emerald green, some cheap boardwalk souvenirs, and some with gold paint which has flecked off onto Cruz’s fingers. 

“Oh! I have something!” Cruz doesn’t unfurl his fingers from yours while he leans over a nearby rock, slightly pulling on your arm as he searches for his pack with his one hand. His tongue sticks out as he looks, ruining the ethereal prince look yet being adorably Cruz-like. He perks up and his hand stills. “Gotcha!” He faces you, but doesn’t bring out his arm. “Now, you have to close your eyes.”

You quirk up an eyebrow. “Really?”

Cruz sticks his tongue out. “Yes,  _ really _ . C’mon, I did it for you.”

You dramatically huff and close your highs, hand still in Cruz’s. His body heat returns as you feel him move closer, taking your intertwined hand and slowly unlocking it from his fingers, but still holding it in his palm. The edge of his claws graze against your skin as something cool slips over your middle finger and around your wrist. 

“Can I open my eyes?”

“Almost.” There’s a small  _ clink _ as something snaps into place. “Now you can.”

You unclench your eyes and there on your hand is a beautiful bracelet, one which connects to a ring around your middle finger and paints the back of your hand with pastels. It’s made of some twine, wrapped in tiny sea shells and bits of sea glass beads. You lift up your hand, struck silent, and don’t even notice Cruz’s expectant gaze. “Do you like it?”

The compliments are almost stuck in your throat, but you manage to compose yourself. “Yes,  _ Yes. _ Oh my god Cruz, I  _ love _ it.” You choke out, still admiring the piece of jewelry. “How-Where did you get this?”

“Oh, I made it. I-it’s tradition, you see, for our kind to make something for our soulmate. Actually, I-” Cruz looks away, sheepish, “I started making it after we met for the first time.” 

You pause, looking down at the bracelet, right above your soulmate mark. The compass had almost become inconsequential, like a beauty spot you don’t even notice anymore. But below Cruz’s gift, the arrow pointed at Cruz, it’s never looked more beautiful.

And  _ that _ is when tears began to well up in your eyes. Cruz almost panics before you brush the tears away, sucking in a big breath. You can’t show up to dinner with red eyes, after all. “I’m good! I’m okay, that’s just-that’s very sweet Cruz.” You smile, large and uninhibited, pressing your wrist to your heart. “It’s amazing, I love it so much.”

Cruz grabs your hands, fingers tapping over the sea glass and pressing into your skin.

“I’m happy you do.”

\---------

The swim to the cave is, unsurprisingly, wet as hell. The submerging part lasts 20 seconds, but even with your scuba experience, you still cling onto Cruz tightly the entire time.

When you resurface, the heat on your cheeks tells you they are flushed from anticipation. The size of the cave does little to assuage that fear.

The length from floor to ceiling is about 13 feet, the cave itself only stretching back around the size of the average auditorium. The water pushes and pulls in a large mouth at the entrance, but there is a small stream which bisects and branches out across the floor, alongside dry indentations that must act like seats when the whole pod gets together. More immediate, however, is the huge fire not too far from you and Cruz, where a huge seal on a spit is slowly being roasted.

“Just in time you two!”

Cruz awkwardly waves, letting you off his back and swimming towards the inlet and, assumedly, his father.

Cruz’s father’s smile is large, from cheek to cheek, showing off rows of sharp teeth, but the crow’s feet in his eyes radiate warmth. He’s quite a bit larger than Cruz, you’d estimate around twelve feet, and greets Cruz with a jovial bellyful laugh and a firm slap on the back that makes him jolt. He radiates a comforting dad-energy, but even his big presence doesn’t distract you from Cruz’s mom and his….

_ Oh shit. _

It’s the two mermaids from before.

_ Cruz’s sisters. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! It's not only not the last chapter, but also a cliffhanger!  
> This was originally going to be just the first half of the final chapter, but after writing almost 3000 words and realizing I was only 50% done, I decided to split them apart. It's already going on two weeks since I posted that last chapter and I didn't want to keep y'all waiting.  
> Hope you have a great day; Next chapter should be out in a week and a half (for real, this time).


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have dinner with Cruz's family. It goes as well as you would expect.

_ They’re even bigger up close. _

From just a couple feet away, you can already tell that not only do his sisters and mother push 15 feet in length, but are also jacked to shit, with biceps which look like they could split a watermelon open. All of them, including Cruz’s dad, have long black hair pulled back into braids, interwoven with seaweed and decorative shells.

You give your own awkward wave. Cruz’s sisters eye you over before giving a committal nod, while his mother gives you a friendlier, yet still intimidating, smile before deferring to her husband. Cruz’s dad’s grin grows even bigger as you get closer.

“_____, right? Pleasure to meet ya! You can call me Davenport.”

“Pleasure to meet you, sir. I’m so happy you and your mate invited me over for dinner.”

Davenport throws his hand back and shakes his head. “Oh it was no problem! When Bonny told me you were headed over I knew I had to try my hand at cooking for the first time.” Davenport gestures to the seal. “Cruz was telling me humans like heating their food and I thought ‘Darn, why can’t I take a crack at that?” 

The animated intonation of Davenport's voice is relaxing and you can feel your heart begin to loosen. It only jumps in your ribcage when Cruz’s mom pats her mate’s shoulder, showing off some seriously long claws. The movement reveals a bit of her soulmate mark, directed at her mate.“He found some kind of text washed up on the beach and wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. Even boiled some water,” Cruz’s mom motions to a small clay pot filled with small grains, “-to get some salt. I had to hunt for him so he could ‘watch the flame’.” Cruz’s mother imitates Davenport, getting her a playful slap on the shoulder. She grins, the light catching on one of her massive fangs. Her deep, black eyes turn towards you. While Cruz’s eyes have a hint of dark blue in them, his mother’s are like a vacuum, devoid of any and all color. “You can call me Bonny.” You nod and slightly bow your head, sticking close to Cruz as he swims towards the fire. 

“Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.” 

_ Did I just fucking bow? Oh my god- _

Bonny shoots you a smirk and motions you to sit down in an indentation. The heat of the nearby fire cuts a lot of the ocean-chill away, but Cruz’s sisters linger not too far away. You would know, they’re stare has been digging into your gut this past 5 minutes. In a brief moment of courage, you make eye contact.

“You must be Cruz’s sisters, right? He’s told me a lot about you.”

The smaller one on the right raises an eyebrow, while the other’s lips quirk up into a smirk.

_ Yeah, that was an obvious lie. _

Neither sister properly responds, until Bonny barks out an order. She whistles and growls in quick succession, and you assume she’s calling the girl’s names. “Come on, introduce yourselves.”

The larger one nods her head, turning towards you. In her grin, there’s a barely disguised haughtiness that you don’t care for. “Call me Opal. I’m the second oldest.” 

The smaller one rolls her eyes, before burning them into you. You hold your ground and refuse to look away. “Call me Capitola, I’m the oldest.” 

The grin you force is the one you practiced as a 16-year-old waitress, and the lie, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” comes out just as naturally. As you sit down, both of them size you up. You keep your posture straight, making sure not to slip as you sit down. 

It hadn’t gone unnoticed by yourself that Cruz has been silent as the dead this whole time. When he sits down to eat next to you at the makeshift stone-slab table, you reach over and slip your hand into his. Stress seems to melt down and out of his fingertips, but his back is stock still, posed and ready to bounce at a moment’s notice. You rub your fingers over his knuckles. He returns the movement, carving out a chunk of seal meat before handing it over to you.

You take a small bite, stomach full from earlier, and spend about 30 seconds just chewing. The blubber has done some favors to the meat’s texture, but it is still quite tough, the salt being one of the few saving graces. You look up and see Davenport’s expectant gaze, giving him a tiny smile as you finally swallow the piece.

“I’ve never had a seal before, but this is pretty good-” You hesitate, formality insisting you call Davenport by his last name, before remembering that they don’t have those. “-Uh, Davenport! Especially for your first time cooking.” Davenport smiles wildly, taking another huge bite out of his seal. Both Cruz and Bonny take smaller bites, trying to be polite. Opal devours her pieces voraciously, cinching up her face at the odd texture. Capitola idly chews, still staring at you.

“If I may ask _____, what is your-” Davenport hesitates as he struggles to find the right word, “Hmmm, position on the surface world? I know you humans typically specialize in something for life, correct?” 

“Yes, well, sort of. You can of course change what you do at any time, but I’m actually currently studying to be a Marine Biologist.” The low ambiance of chewing stops as the entire family furrows their brows. “B-Basically I’ll be studying the ocean. I’m not sure what exactly I’ll study, not yet, but it could be ocean plant life, crustaceans, phytoplankton, bigger mammals, the whole shebang.” You wave your hand nonchalantly, trying hard not to stumble over your explanation. Davenport nods at your answer and goes back to eating, but Bonny continues the conversation.

“How long will you stay in this area, in this ocean?”

“Well I’m getting my masters right now, which will take me about 3 years. If I get into the doctoral program here to get my PhD then I’d stay for another 3 to 4 years. But Santa Cruz is beautiful and-” You squeeze Cruz’s hand and smile in his direction. He returns with a tiny one of his own, a hint of blue at the tip of his nose. “I could see myself settling down here.”

Bonny hums, keeping her eyes locked on you as she takes a bite.

“Sounds difficult. Me and Davenport knew a couple of sharks that became scholars, living off the coast of a human school or something. Very dedicated mers; It’s an admirable profession you’ve chosen. '' Bonny's praise warms you up, like you’re eight and the teacher just gave you a gold star. “You seem to be a good fit for Cruz. If I am to be honest, I was worried when he first told me his mate was human.” You readjust your posture as Bonny's voice drops a little quieter. The air feels more serious by the second. Cruz squeezes your hand. “We are taught from a young age that our mate is our equal. A fitting support that builds you up as you do to it. For a while we we’re not sure if Cruz would find someone who could...support him like he needs, someone to fill in those gaps.” Your eye’s dart to Cruz but he keeps looking forward, fiddling with the small part of his left over seal. “But you seem strong, sturdy. I can tell you will help Cruz a lot.”

Bonny commands all the attention when she speaks, but this entire dinner your mind has been constantly attuned to check on your soulmate at 20-second intervals. As Bonny praises you, Cruz reaches towards a particularly fatty part of the seal, away from his parents eyes. In a flash you catch only from the corner of your eye, Opal slaps his hand away, growling a low tone as she takes it instead. Cruz’s hand slightly jerks in yours, hissing as he retracts his arm and shakes the scratched hand. It’s not enough to bleed, but Opal’s claw left a small white slash on the back of his hand.

The warmth that comes from Bonny’s compliment quickly overwhelms you into simmering rage, heat crawling across your chest and your heart pounding. From Cruz’s dejected gaze and the lack of response from his parents, you can already guess this a common occurrence.

_ Well, not anymore. _

“That’s very sweet but, I don’t think Cruz has any gaps. In fact, in a lot of ways he’s helped me and we’ve helped each other.” It’s taking most of your control to not rip your hand up and slam it on the table. But this moment isn’t about your anger, it’s about him. “Yes, in fact he’s been taking me on a bunch of swims around the reef, showing me all the plants and animals. It’s been a huge help for my studies. Guess that’s one of the benefits of having a strong, handsome shark boyfriend.” You know you’re laying it on a little thick, but your eyes once again catch Cruz’s sheepish grin and blush. He rubs his thumb over the back of your hand and you do the same. “I’ve even seen him hunt a couple times and it always takes me breath away. He’s so fast and so clever, like a tactician. You two must be very proud, you’ve done a great job teaching him.”

Opal scoffs, loudly and wanting attention. Capitola elbows her in the ribs, but the larger mer doesn’t seem phased. Davenport fills in the awkward silence. 

“Yes, well, we’ve always known Cruz was a smart boy. Imagine my surprise when he walks in, 14 years old, with all his hair cut off! Says it’s more arrow...arrow-” Davenport snaps his fingers, thinking deeply.”

“Aerodynamic, dad. It reduces my drag in the water.”

“That’s it! See? At my age, I wouldn’t have been caught dead with hair as short as his. But that’s why he’s the brains, our little speedster.” Davenport leans over and pats Cruz on the shoulder while giving you a big wink. Cruz sheepishly scratches the back of his neck.

“Well-”

“Still couldn’t catch a seal like this one. Not with just  _ speed _ , anyway.” Opal sneers, taking a spiteful bite of seal. Capitola nudges her again. Bonny mutters a myriad of tunes under her breath, perhaps Opal’s proper name. You slowly turn your head to lock eyes with Opal. Her’s are dark and bitter; You know a bully one you see one.

_ It’s game on, sister. _

“I don’t know, I’ve seen Cruz do some very impressive hunting maneuvers. I’ve never hunted myself, but I think he could kill a seal this big no problem. It wouldn’t surprise me if he could somehow find a way to kill two of these bad boys,” You pat the seal carcass for effect, “In less than an hour.”

Opal moves to bite something back, but Capitola cuts in. “That’s a fair assumption. After all, you know little to nothing about hunting, being a human.” Capitola’s bite is controlled and her stare is concentrated. There’s no outward malice; You’re sure she can play the game of passive-aggressive banter like a fiddle. “It’s not your fault for making such an outlandish claim.” 

“I wouldn’t-”

“_____’s actually given me some really helpful hints for my hunting.” Cruz interrupts, his voice starting off light and nonchalant, before he turns his head towards his sisters. He’s mastered a poker face, calm and collected, but the grip on your hand is tight. “They’ve studied how animals hunt for years now, they even watch shark hunts annually, purely for entertainment. So, no, I wouldn’t say they know ‘little to nothing’. I’d say they know a damn lot about hunting, actually.”

Cruz keeps eye contact with Capitola, even as she clearly bristles with anger. You lean over and rub Cruz’s shoulder, the tension slowly leaving his body in your touch. You whisper a “Thank you.” He looks away from his sister and you can see that pisses her off even more. 

“No problem, babe.”

The silence is deafening, Opal is paused mid-bite as her eyes dart back and forth. The nervous tension radiates off of Davenport, but Bonny surveys the situation calmly. She makes no movement to butt into the argument. Capitola rolls her eyes at you and Cruz’s display of affection.

“Listen, I get that now that you’re ‘soulmates’, or whatever, you need to put on a good face and defend one another. But to act so blind to reality-”

“I don’t think it’s being blind to reality, I think it’s called supporting the person you  _ love _ . Y’know, friends, partners, family. People who  _ matter  _ to you.” Capitola sneers as you cut her off, shifting her weight to do...something. Whether it's to lunge at you from across the table or just to intimidate, you’re not sure, but in an instant Cruz puts his arm over your chest and moves to leap as well.

“That is  _ enough _ !” The entire stone slab shakes, the seal bouncing as Bonny slam’s both of her massive fists on the table. Both Capitola and Cruz both jerk and lean back, Cruz still protectively holding his arm out to cover you. “If you have problems, you solve them out in the ocean, not at the dinner table. And Capitola,” Capitola looks to her mother, still clearly seething, but she knows she’s been caught, “We do  _ not _ insult each other’s mates. When you get one of your own, you will understand that. That goes the same for your Opal.” That same cerulean blush quickly spreads across both sister’s cheeks, Opal taking a small, dejected nip of seal. “Now, the both of you better apologize to your brother and his mate right now.”

Opal mutters her brief “Sorry” between her food and Capitola looks up from under her brow, heated as ever. “I’m sorry.”

“Now that’s better.” Bonny says, unclenching her fists. Davenport snakes his hand over her forearm and grabs her hand, rubbing it in support. Bonny takes a deep breath.

With shaky hands, you tug on Cruz’s bicep. He reluctantly pulls his arm away from your chest, but moves in closer to you anyway. His body heat is comforting, but shivers still wrack you.

“We’re going to head out. I don’t want to keep ____ out past sundown.”

Bonny gives a slow and somber nod. Davenport smiles, but it’s just as mournful as his mates. “Of course. Swim safely.” Cruz nods as well, shooting a final stare at his sisters, who avoid his eyes. As Cruz recedes into the water, you stand up and out of your indentation, giving a tiny wave to Cruz’s parents. 

“Thank you for the food Davenport. It was a pleasure to meet you both.” Your eyes slide over to Opal and Capitola, both looking an odd combination of embarrassed and angry. You don’t bother lying and leave them with a bitter look, slipping onto Cruz’s back. In a moment, you both are back into the darkness.

\-----------

It’s only six o’clock when you reach the tidepool, the sun not due to set for another 2 hours. Your wetsuit and hair cling to your skin, but the warmth of Cruz’s skin outweighs the cold. Instead of quickly hopping off his back, you linger, arms wrapped around his neck and cheek pressed into his shoulder blade. You let out a deep breath, one you felt you’d been holding all night.

“That was-”

“Terrible?” 

“Yeah, no, that was terrible.” You giggle, finger tracing shapes into Cruz’s muscles. “Your dad and mom seemed nice though.” Cruz sighs.

“Yeah, they’ve got good heads on their shoulders. It’s just my sisters who are bitches.” You dramatically let out of a breath of relief.

“Oh good, if you call them bitches then I can as well, right?” Cruz laughs once more, patting your thigh.

“Go for it. Trust me, I will be the farthest thing from upset if you do.” 

The both of you stay in the water for another minute, listening to the ambient ocean and each other’s breaths. With your face against Cruz’s back, you feel the thrum of his heartbeat; Slow and surprisingly calm. Your fingers continue to dance across Cruz’s shoulder blades, tracing the contour of his delts and the ribs of his vertebrae.

“You’re really amazing, Cruz.” You don’t look to his face, focused on that quiet pulse. “I hope you know that. Because if not, I’ll never stop telling you that you are.” That tiny beat quickens and you halt the movement of your fingers, leaning your head up to look at the back of Cruz’s head. He’s unusually quiet.

With quick movements, Cruz brings you to his front, your arms easily adjusting as he holds you in the bridal position. Cruz’s eyes are pools that seem to stretch forever, pulling and pushing at your heartstrings. His smile is small and so genuine that it almost hurts to look at. 

“Thank you. I could say the same about you.” You nuzzle into his chest, bringing up your hand to brush his cheek. The skin beneath his eye is silky soft, mottled with freckles, warm as he presses his jaw into your hand. He makes a noise similar to a purr as you continue to rub your thumb over his cheek.

The seaglass on your new bracelet catches the sunlight and shines beautifully, highlighting the soulmate mark just below it. Just 2 months ago you despised that mark, would’ve never worn anything as eye catching as Cruz’s gift. The mark that had given you so much grief over the years.

“____?”

“Hm?” you hum absentmindedly, still admiring the small dots on Cruz’s skin, the contour of his neck, and the smoothness of his face. 

“Can I kiss you?”

Your fingers stop and your eyes dart to Cruz’s. There’s so much emotion, so much adoration in the blue-black abyss. It’s captivating and all you can do is nod.

Cruz hesitates, but leans down and presses his lips shyly into yours. It’s a shy little peck, one that you're quick to sink into you. Your muscles melting into Cruz’s chest as you pull his neck closer to you, desperate for more of his body heat, his touch, his everything. Cruz’s grip on you tightens as the kiss becomes more passionate, pent up emotions pouring out of both of you.

When you finally detach, your breaths are heavy and a large blush flushes both of your faces.

“That….I mean- _ wow _ .” Cruz huffs out, eyes still lingering on your lips. You nod, breathless. 

“Yes. That was...very good.” Cruz chuckles, still catching his breath. You snuggle into his chest, the cold water soaked into your wetsuit barely bothering you anymore. Cruz looks down at you, swaddled like a baby in his arms, and smiles big. His eyes crinkle up and his sharp teeth contrast nicely against the dark blue of his blush. His grin brings out one of your own, as you admire the shark you call your soulmate.

_ Yeah, the wait was worth it. _

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks! I've gotten a lot of love for this series, and for my first big multi-chapter project, it's meant a lot! I honestly wasn't sure if people were going to enjoy this, but all the sweet comments have really made this a super fun experience. While I probably won't write something this long for a while, but I'm super proud of this, and I hope you've enjoyed the journey! Stay safe and have a great day!


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